As I have previously posted to another blog about prison reform: 
My brother spent all of his adult life in prison for marijuana - and eventually died there after a fight with non Hodgkin lymphoma. 

9 years in the pin - non-violent - no prior record.  

After the first 3 or 4 years he was ready to take life by the horns, come back into society with open arms, anxious to accept what life could have gave him - but the legal system being backward as it so often seems - would keep him locked up for life.
He had worked so hard to  prove that he wanted to make a good life on the outside, "play by the rules", start a family, and so on.  
Three months before his time would be finished - and after waiting half a year or more for the governor to sign "the paper" granting him medical attention - he died.  
His last wish was to be able to sparkle some hope for his friends in the pin, who like himself were just put there to waste away.  Population control?
A couple of years back this preacher's wife shot her husband in the back while he was asleep - she went to JAIL (not prison) for not even a year and is out living free, going to court to get her kids back from the In-laws custody.
What kind of legal system is that?
So it only took that lady a few months to be a "rehabilitated" muderer?
Two people walking down a street - both just got out of incarceration; one with a criminal history of marijuana - the other with a criminal history of murder - Who would you rather have walking around your neighborhood?
Sex offenders get off just as easy - there are 3 that live on my street - all with VIOLENT RAPE convictions. How long did it take to "reform" them?
All in all, it is sickening to know that people are being sent to prison every day - strapped with a lifelong sentence, to ensure a governor's lifelong pocketbook.
Right on Russ! Thank you for being a loud voice on the issue!



Seven years in prison and an eternity of death,

is the price I had to pay for the cost of my regret.

My dreams and worth wasted behind this iron door,

I learned my f***ing lesson after the first three or four!

The years I served for your so called justice,

For your backward laws and scandalous antics,

No concrete walls can diminish the criminal substance

When they're built to fatten your wallet and swell your gut,

you just thought you had me when that door slammed shut!!

The hangman is coming; he'll be knocking on my door,

the echo screams down the hall of this floor.

No more worries no more pain-he's come to take me out of this game,

but you can't kill a knight with no shame.

My spirit is not extinguished by the rise of my defeat.

I'm the one who's prevailed this soldier you could not beat.

Your day will come you worthless excuse for a man,

always so quick to damn what you don't understand.

Explain to me this then as my withering soul curls,

you let free down the block the guy who raped 4year old girls!!

The hangman is coming he'll be knocking on my door,

the echo screams down the hall of this floor-no more worries no more pain,

he'll take me out of this game-but you can't kill a knight with no shame.

I'm not sure you understand,

so allow me to elaborate,

my faith is the only thing I have left at stake.

Your swollen pride and pencil thick ideas,

will be of no use to you here,

at the end of your "glory" there I will be,

and I will take back all you STOLE from me!!!

Here comes the hangman knocking at your door,

the echo like a bomb as you fall to the floor.

No more lives for you to claim,

hes come to take YOU  out of the game-

He'll kill you for being a king with no name!
jdl

Sorry about your brother Jessica L. It's very sad we live in a society that's been brainwashed to believe that marijuana and drug users are worse than murderers and rapists. But change is coming. The public is speaking up more and more and even the president is forced to talk about it now. The problems in Mexico have forced our govenment to look at problem instead of turn a blind eye. And after all the attempts fail, involving sending troops (that can be bought off), our special ed government will catch on and finally do the right thing ....... Blow up Mexico. Just kidding, they'll legalize it. April 20th would be the best day for a new law to come into being on that course.

The cost of the war on drugs falls on the shoulders of minority's the poor and powerless. Just like it was designed to do in the 30's. It was started by the racist and greedy, I see the truth. I just cannot believe this atmosphere still exist today.

I have learned one thing. I worked on the Obama campaign to ensure his election. Wearing his T shirts and displaying his bumper stickers I was brought to one realization. Racism is alive and well in our country, a surprise to me. I thought we were beyond that attitude. But we are not and the drug laws were first put into place to enslave people of color and they still work today.

Cherokee Fred Hussein Jesus

Do we in New York stand much chance at seeing a bill introduced like that in California and Massachusetts to tax and regulate cannabis like alcohol? Our governor was arrested at a drug law reform rally for Christ sake! There has to be SOME support for a measure like this. Let's take the next step and put New York at the forefront of a saner drug policy.

As the United States moved away from institutional racism a big hole was left open - who do we discriminate against?

There has always been someone to cast to the side, to demand from, yet give nothing - a second class citizen, a slave.

Everything, and I do mean everything has won its civil rights.  Gays, lesbians, transgender, feminist, ethnic groups, religious groups... but the instution of society will always seek SOME angle to refuse entitlement to people.

Enter: drugs. 

First think back, the massive escalation of the war on drugs came right on the heels of the civil rights movement in the USA.  Suddenly everyone has entitement; the institution needs a way to temper the liability of a whole society. 

Whats the solution?  "Drug users are evil, sub-human, and don't deserve to have a good job which YOU could have!  They need to pay their debt to society in jail!" 

Paying your debt to society is exactly what prison means, too.  Youre being forced to become an asset.  The federal government pays the state government to house inmates and now they pay very well for private institutions to house imates.

Sure, prison is a good thing - FOR CRIMINALS!  But, to take someone and imprison them for nothing more than chosing a lifestyle you dont approve of, is no better than the discrimination of the pre-civil-rights era.  These people are being bought and sold in institutions like meat. 

Take it further.  Society took that line about good jobs too seriously.  Now, we can deny work to those who need it, because their lifestyle. 

Workmans comp insurance are refusing to pay for injuries for people whos OFF THE JOB lifestyle includes drug use. 

States are trying to refuse unemployment benefits to the very people who paid into it, because of their LIFESTYLE choices.

The feds have BEEN doing it, too. Refusing educations to kids who didnt follow the approved lifestyle of absitinece.

Drug posession and lifestyle including use has even been the excuse for breaking up families, seizure of life savings, cars, houses

And so on and so on ....

Its the new slavery and the new discrimination.  Its a way around civil rights and ...

UNTIL SOCIETY REALIZES THAT *EVERYONE* HAS THE SAME CIVIL RIGHTS - IT WILL NEVER END.

I just read an interesting post. Saying Obama should not commit political suicide saying legalize weed. I gave this some thought and it makes sense. It also stated it is up to us to demand changes are made. That also makes sense we must be loud. We must insist our individual rights are restored. We must stop destroying our young peoples lives. Even if they are just poor young men of color (many people still love this feature of the war on drugs).  We must end this war ourselves. Please join me in this fight if they would restore my ability to send a message to all friends. I would say join my friends list but it is useless as is.....


CFHJ

reform the hip-hop community first!!!!! so annoying with this racism...

FYI I'm sooooo black

Wait a minute, how come this post is so short? Russel, how come you are not equally participating in change.org by haveing a profile page and signing petitions?????? What kind of equality is this???

No blood diamonds on your ears today?

Specifically, I want to know what you meant when you said "The assembly has just passed a bill that is just far enough for us to accept it." Please be more specific, Russel. I would really like you to compare and contrast what you wanted the bill to say vs. what it ended up saying. Thanks for your efforts to mobilize.

Forget all this Obama sympathy. He doesn't want to end the drug war because the CIA is still makin too much money. He is deploying more troops despite the many letters he received from the progressive movement not to do. He is following in Bush's footsteps and giving us a couple sweetheart deals here and there. In truth, the marijuana laws are definately not a priority, many of the other concerns this "online community" has are priorities and thus we should not be clowned for partaking in his online townhall meeting, regarding the drug laws and marijuana issues.

These law's need to be reformed now , to stop the killing and wast of the human life in prisons and the billion's it takes to fund this war on drugs. Ron Paul has the right idea !!!!

Something needs to be done soon before I lose faith in America completely and its already starteing to happen just look around...Obama if you dont reform the laws for marijuana this term then I will give up on my causes and see as a joke cause nothing takes this long and to add to it you will have one less vote along many so take that in im tired of trying to do the right thing and see how the government tries to control us and so many people are so full of fear to speak out but I think you know whats up

Legalize it! It's ignorent not to

Obama needs to be a man of his word and do what he said he would do from the start

Our founding fathers and the patriotic citizen solders fought the unjust taxes of the King, they fought for freedom. Yet now the very things they fought for are being taken from us one by one. They grew and used tobacco. They had freedom to brew their own whiskey. and if they wanted to smoke the peace pipe with whatever in it, no one dared to tell them they could not do these things. What the hell happened to us since then. Who is representing the people who want the freedom to do what our founding fathers could do. Please does anybody know who these politicians are so I can thank them for representing me ? 

im realy getting sick of this subject not being treated seriously... alchohol is so much worse on your body and everyone knows it...fox news an others are tryin to make a mockery of the situation acting as if there will be chaos in america if marijuana is legalized.. other countrys have already done it an are perfectly fine... its absolutly rediculous... past presidents have admitted to trying it, yet others are punished for the same exact "crime"... punished for smoking a plant that naturally grows on earth...all these conservatives ranting and raving about god and whatnot, well if u do belive in him what right do you have in objecting to something he put here??

04/20/2009 Wash DC million Marijuana March I hope to see you all there.

Hello
I spent my life working with in the law enforcement world and I never have understood why we spend so much money fighting what we could tax and make money on. Just think America if you could go to the local drug store and buy what you wanted at a fair tax producing price. There would be no dirt bags selling on street corners, no one going to prison, no billions spent on a war on drugs we can not win or even make a dent in for that matter. We would free up prison space for the real bad people that belong there. Yes people say some would abuse and cause their own death by overdose and so on but they would have anyway. And the best reason to change is That our government has no business in what we do to ourselves or put in ourselves. There are already laws on the books to deal with DUI, Public intox and so on that could be used on drug users in the same way they are used now. If you cause a problem you can be dealt with using these laws and not special drug laws that allow super punishment.   

PLEDGE TO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.

If you pass the legal cannabis law removing all restrictions. I pledge to move to your state and I will bring my 80K house hold income with me. I am looking for a place where freedom of choice is restored. A right granted by our fouders and taken away for pure greed....

Cherokee Fred Hussein Jesus

how long will we as a people just sit back and let our government do this? we live in a state of terror, not of foreign regimes but of our own government. just by signing this petition we have been branded as "ignorant pot heads" who shouldn't be taken seriously. "why would i pass this bill when the extra cash i receive for keeping it prohibited is putting my kids through college" says the man in the three piece suit. this is a billion dollar a year enterprise we're talking about people. i'd like 2 believe that we're making a difference right now, and who knows we might just be doing so, but lets just face it our justice system is set up for victory in there favor former sen. ted stevens is proof of that. i know i'm not cut out for politics, i'm just a small town middle american cook but our declaration of independence (which is made from hemp might i ad :) states that if we get to a point where our government losses that primary principal that all men are created equal and this country is made: of the people, for the people, and by the people, then we are to throw it out and write a new one. but in order to do any of this we've got to  do alot more then just write letters and sign petitions. its too bad arron russo's gone, he would have really made some ripples in the water.

High to all,

I'm realy not sure how to start, so let me start by saying that I do think the time for marijuana law reform is now, lots of things going on to make me think this, I'm not sure if anyone else has thought of it like this, but by President Obama telling the DEA to stand down on it's raids of medicinal marijuana dispenseries, he has in effect given the issue over to the states to decide, and one by one the states are starting to side with we the reasonable people, so lets start doing more at the state levels, if 40 out of 50 states reform their laws in favor of medicinal and recreational use, the federal will probaly fall in step.
We can all make a bigger impact on this by not only contacting our state and local officials, but also by learning everything we can about the topic, all the pros and cons, and then talk to everyone we know about the injustice of the war on drugs. I've talked with my dad about it and at 80 years old he agrees that it needs to stop. Know both sides of the arguments so if a debate pops up you already have a response to any objection the has. If done from an intellectual stance rather than an emotional stance you will have won every argument that could try to be used.
Talk to everyone about this issue, and the ones who respond favorably should be encouraged to become active to help correct the injustice. There is power in numbers!
How about compilling a list of those who have been unjustly imprisoned like Jessica's brother, those non-violent offenders who were merely in possesion of marijuana and marijuana paraphanalia, or for being in possession for reasons of releaf from pain and suffering, then present that list of names in a meaningful way that will put a human face to victims of this stupid war on drugs.
the number one way of getting the information needed to obtain a search warrant is from anonymus tipsters, so how about everyone start tipping off the enforcemant agents about the grow operations at say the puffy taco, or the nursing home, or the addresses of some of the enforcemant officers, or even the residential addresses of our elected officials, keep them chasing they'r tails, and flood them with so many tips that they get short circuited, which tip is credible and which is not? What we dont want to do is point them at anyone they could actualy go after and hurt, that would only make us as bad as them.
I am however not an advocate for violance, there has already been too much of that! 

I dont know, but I think it's time to start moving beyond the thought of wouldnt it be cool to do that and actualy do it.
I dont know, maybe Philip you could help direct us in the directions that would not cross serious legal lines.
Any thoughts or is anything already being done like this.

This is great news. It's high time we end the insane Rockefeller Laws and focus on fixing all that is wrong with the nation. The time to legalize marijuana is right now, as well as freeing the weed prisoners. We are going to focus on this issue on the show this Sunday night. Rev. Bookburn - Radio Volta

It's time to end the failed, destructive policy of marijuana prohibition.
Tell Obama and your elected representatives that marijuana should be legalized and taxed:
http://tinyurl.com/LegalizeTaxIt

Do the right thing and release everyone of the so-called criminals in our prisons who possessed and/or sold marijuana. This would free the overcrowded prison systems all over the nation to house those who truely deserve to be there. Then legalize marijuana, tax it like alcohol and tobacco, and sell it legally to adults. Everyone knows marijuana is safer than tobacco and alcohol, but leaving it in the hands of drug smugglers only leads the user to to exposure to more potent drugs such as crack cocaine, herion, and other dangerous drugs.

I am a non-marijuana user and don't judge those who use. BUT I do think these individuals who go to prison for marijuana is a JOKE! Come on. People who assualt or murder get more slack. I agree: it all boils down to money. And as far as the Obama goes, yes he is the President but there is a whole mass of elite, greedy jerks who control what gets passed. That is why we the people need to shake things up to make it happen.

Yeah Russel Simmons should be on change.org for this cause, "What's up" with that?

Hemp and Marijuana Myths & Realities by David P. West Ph.D. http://www.naihc.org/hemp_infomation/content/hemp.mj.html "HEMP FACT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW" EXAMPLES at DOmain Name(S) hemp123.org hempabc.cn hemp123deals.biz REDUNdanceS to www.hempabcdeals.biz Click Links shAIR beneFIT OTHERs reQUEST SAme of tHEM PerSONs & tHEM People(s) exAMPLEs HEMP-SISTERs FUELLESSENGINE IAL NUTIVA

Thank you god for your works of healing the earth one small wound at a time!

What is the Word of God on the Cannabis plant?

The hemp plant (scientific name: cannabis, slang: marijuana) is one of the many useful herbs "yielding seed after its kind" created and blessed by God on the third day of creation, "and God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:12) He gave hemp for people to use with our free will.

God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth....To you it will be for meat." ... And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. (Genesis 1:29-31) The Bible predicts some herb's prohibition. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times, some shall ... speak lies in hypocrisy ... commanding to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. (Paul: 1 Timothy 4:1-3)

The Bible speaks of a special plant. "I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more." (Ezekiel 34:29) A healing plant. On either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare 12 manner of fruits, and yielding her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelations 22:1-2) A gift from God.

Cannabis was used 12 ways: clothing, paper, cord, sails, fishnet, oil, sealant, incense, food, and in ceremony, relaxation and medicine. For so the Lord said unto me, "I will take my rest and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs. For afore harvest, when the bud is perfect and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches." (Isaiah 18:4-5)

Hemp today has thousands of uses. Modern technology has devised many new uses for the hemp plant;like biomass energy, building materials, fuel, plastic and so on. Hemp is ecological and its seed is among the best food crops on Earth. Selected varieties produce flowers that provide an herbal relaxant and a spiritual tool. Its herb is used globally as medicine.

Please vote for my idea to combine ending the war on drugs and using the money saved to fund Universal heath care for all Americans at no cost!!

http://healthcare.change.org/actions/view/free_health_care_no_new_tax_or_expense_2

Cherokee Fred Hussein Jesus